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Ex-Councillors honours Buratai with ‘Philanthropist per Excellence’ award
The National Forum of Ex-Councillors, comprising former councillors from the 774 local government areas in Nigeria, has honoured the Nigerian Ambassador to the Benin Republic and former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Tukur Buratai (retd) with the Award of ‘Philanthropist per Excellence’.
The award was presented to Buratai on Thursday in Gora, Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The President of the National Forum of Ex-Councilors, Mr Awwal Hassan, said it was the first time they would be giving out such an award to a former service chief, adding that Buratai earned the award because of his achievements in office by leading the counter-insurgency war from the front.
According to Hassan, the former COAS distinguished himself from his peers in the field of philanthropy by assisting several socially vulnerable individuals with their empowerment and educational needs.
The forum’s vice president, Mr. Ismaila Mumin, stated that the forum of Ex-Councilors was a non-governmental organization launched and run by certain concerned youth activists to promote amicable understanding and unity among the nation’s teaming youth.
The organization, according to him, has active and effective structures in each of Nigeria’s 774 local governments, which it uses, among other things, to mobilize young people to promote peace and peaceful coexistence in their communities.
Receiving the award, Buratai expressed his gratitude to the gathering for honouring his work and promised to keep helping the weaker members of society.
The award, he added, was a real expression of who Buratai is and what he stood for. He said that much had been done to improve the living conditions of people at the grassroots level, and that work is still being done in this area.
Insisting that the current military leadership maintain the current successes being recorded in taming the security challenges to ensure that Buhari handed over a secured Nigeria in 2023, he described the award as a great honour to him and his family as well as to the military in general, including the defence correspondents who were with him in the field as army chief.